1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a development processing apparatus and a development processing method for forming an image on a silver halide photosensitive material by using an imagewise-exposed silver halide photosensitive material and a processing sheet including chemicals for forming an image on the silver halide photosensitive material as the processing sheet is laminated on the silver halide photosensitive material and is subjected to heating.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a photosensitive material called a lithographic film is used in the printing of newspapers, magazines, and the like. In this lithographic film, each pixel represents a black dot or a white dot, and the variable density is expressed by the density of black dots in a predetermined region of the lithographic film.
By making use of the lithographic film capable of expressing the variable density in the above-described manner, a total of four originals, including an original expressing the variable density of a cyan color component for a subject color image, an original expressing the variable density of a magenta color component, an original expressing the variable density of a yellow color component, and an original expressing the variable density of a black color, are prepared by exposure and development processing. Then, as these four originals are printed in an overlapping manner by using inks corresponding to the respective colors, printed matter on which the subject color image is recorded is prepared, and this technology is well-known.
In the above-described technology, in order to prepare originals expressing variable densities of predetermined colors, the lithographic film on which variable-density images of the predetermined colors have been exposed is conventionally subjected to various kinds of processing, including development, fixation, and washing (the so-called wet processing).
However, the process of such development processing is complex. In addition, since liquids including chemicals, such as processing solutions, are used, their management is troublesome, and the staining and the like of a development processing apparatus are a cause of accelerated deterioration of the development processing apparatus.